[Friday, May 13, 2163]

[Location Undisclosed > Butterscotch Headquarters > Section L > Ballistics range 3 > 10:07]

Allison and the others entered the room which spread out in all directions from the point which was once the end of the corridor. She glanced behind her to see massive blast doors, nearly a full meter thick, slowly and ominously close. After she watched them shut with a dull ‘thud’, she inspected the room. The ground was made of cement, solid and unforgiving, and the gunmetal-colored walls had some signs of wear and/or blast damage as the case may have been. The occasional bullet casing littered the floor and off in a far corner, under several industrial ventilation fans installed in the walls, was a crater in the floor. As she took in the pre-packaged warzone, Aaron’s voice bellowed, racking her ears, and bringing her back from her observations, “Place your bets!"

Jessica replied “12 minutes at most.”

Emilia followed up “32 minutes.”

Michelle responded after all of them “She won’t, not during the evaluation. She may start pointing a gun while trying to find him though.”

Everyone in the room, except Michelle and Allison, laughed hysterically.

Aaron jeered, “That’s ballsy, even for you Michelle.”

Javon followed up, “Everyone curses him out during the first meeting.”

Allison, being the object of whatever wager was taking place, finally spoke up. “What is this bet about? What am I supposed to be doing… or not doing?”

Michelle responded “You’re going into your evaluation and meeting Bubba for the first time. The bet is to see how long you go without cursing at him. Tell you what, if you can manage to not curse at Bubba during this evaluation, I’ll personally answer 2 bonus questions. As for everyone else, standard betting rules apply.”

Jessica shouted, “That’s bullshit! You can’t mess with the odds like that!”

Emilia, still holding Conrad under her arm like a large sack of flour, responded “Contract page 115: ‘In the event that a wager is placed, a person participating in the wager can manipulate the odds for or against anyone involved, within reason, and so long as it does not endanger anyone.”

“Well fuck, I guess she can.” Jessica groaned.

“I stopped reading at a really important part… didn’t I?" Allison mumbled.

Emilia nodded “Yeah, pretty much. Those last 8 pages or so had all of the good shit.”

Sighing in resignation, Allison turned towards everyone and spoke to no one in particular. “Well, I’d better get started. Any particular instructions?”

Emilia set Conrad down in a corner, and much the same as the meeting yesterday, asked for items for restraining a person.

Jessica was more than happy to help and dropped her backpack. Emilia rummaged in it and pulled out fuzzy handcuffs. She paused and looked at Jessica. “You know, these would work, but I don’t suppose you’d get them back. Are you sure you’re willing to part with these?”

“Yeah, I don’t use fuzzy handcuffs… much. I actually brought those just to confuse the shit out of him when he wakes up. Here, leave these next to him and pull his pants down whenever you drop him off. It’ll be great!”

Emilia checked the contents of the bag and grinned maliciously. “Jesse, you gotta see this.” Jesse came over and looked into the bag. He laughed hysterically, tears forming in his eyes. Allison could only wonder what was in the bag, not daring to approach anything related to Jessica after their earlier exchange in the hallway.

Jessica glared at Allison. “You wanna know, newbie? I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the evaluation too. If you can beat me, you find out what’s in the bag and get a bonus question. If you fail, we go to ‘The Pit’ immediately. A tie will just score you the bag’s contents. Passing and losing will result in a draw. I have never failed a shooting range trial.”

Allison sighed “Alright, there’s the penalty for failure I was worried about, though now I think it just got harder for me. So… am I getting instructions or what?"

Jessica sneered, "It's a shooting range. You pick up the guns and shoot the targets. It's brain-dead easy. Just walk over there and stop before you get to the flashing lights."

Aside from her attire, Allison felt energized for any average task, likely the result of having two showers within the span of an hour. That being said, she considered the task she was assigned far from the realm of normal and proceeded to slip into a state of mild anxiety. This was made all the more apparent by her trembling as she approached the designated area, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process.

"Hey, prison bitch, you're gonna need a gun, right? Think fast!" Jessica lobbed a pistol at Allison, who somehow managed to catch it, and not fire it. She hardly managed to catch it without tripping it or misfiring. Jessica gave her a sideways glance and a smirk as she walked up to a line that was faintly illuminated in a pale green light.

With Jessica's taunts as background noise, Allison watched as the framework for gun-range isles rose from the floor. She nervously continued in their direction as if walking on eggshells, paying no attention to any sort of markings or indications present on the lanes.

Jessica took her position at the previously illuminated section of the floor, now an illuminated lane at the firing line. Allison stepped up to a lane that was not illuminated at all, and realized that there were no weapons or anything there, and aside from the gun that had just been thrown at her, she'd have had no weapons by which to take the evaluation.

Jessica's taunts could still be heard amidst the sound of gunfire as Jessica unloaded on her targets. She took a sideways glance at her target and fired 3 times.  The target was shaped like a person. There were 3 large rings on the target’s chest, and at the center, a smaller red circle, the bullseye. The head had the same setup, only smaller. There were 2 more target markers to the left and right side of the head. The outer rings had the number 5 listed, which each ring closer to the center adding 5 points, and the bullseye being worth 25 points. The setup was: outer ring - 5, middle ring - 10, inner ring - 15, center circle - 20, bullseye - 25

Jessica’s first shot landed at the uppermost part of the outer ring on the chest, the second shot was directly below that on the upper part of the second ring. Her third shot veered off slightly, falling a bit lower, yet still in the second ring. “You know we’re only taking 10 shots, right?”

Allison gulped and readied her weapon, even though she did not know that they were only taking 10 shots. She took aim, not bothering to steady her breathing, and hardly looked at the target. She pulled the trigger, flinching in the process. As expected from her display, the bullet never even came close to any of the targets, even missing the paper the targets were printed on.. Upon seeing this, someone decided it would be wise to activate a large bulletproof glass wall that raised itself between Allison and everyone except Jessica.

Jessica laughed “Did you even look? If you’re like this, it won’t even be fun” Jessica then pointed at her, “Look at the target at least damnit!”

Allison stopped staring blankly at the angry Jessica and instead redirected her gaze upon her target. She squeezed the trigger again, missing the target splendidly. “Oh fuck!” She finally took a stance and fired. This time finally hitting the outer ring on the chest of the target.

“Oh, so you can hit the target?!” Jessica sneered. Jessica turned to face Allison while pointing her gun at the target. She fired all remaining 7 rounds. They were fairly accurate, but all within the middle or outer rings of the chest. “Hmm, 75 points, not my best, but I suppose it will do.”

Jessica continued hurling insults and taunts at Allison as she continued her evaluation. The taunts were effectively timed as Allison fired, leaving her missing the mark or in the outer rings.

Allison was far too absorbed in her adversary’s provocation. Jessica behaved as if her entire goal was to mentally destabilize her, and the tactic worked beautifully. Of the 5 targets on the sheet, she only managed to hit one of them, completely missing the other nine shots.

Had Allison paid any sort of attention to anything other than her adversary's unsportsmanlike, not safe for work, and downright unfriendly words, she'd have known that Jessica was paying far more attention to her than the actual task at hand. Allison's face paled as she laid the gun in the stall and stepped back. It was an obvious failure and she began a round of mental gymnastics trying to figure out what being in 'The Pit' with Jessica entailed. The only thing she knew for sure was that it would not be a pleasant experience.

Jessica gave a very brief summary upon completion. “20 points, we’re going to The Pit!”

[Friday, May 13, 2163]

[Location Undisclosed > Butterscotch Headquarters > Section L > Ballistics range 3 > 10:28]

At some point, the large bullet-proof wall had descended back into the floor, and Allison then heard the sounds of clicking and whirring. She immediately glanced in Emilia’s direction. Emilia, completely expecting this, simply pointed up with her left hand. Allison watched as small gun emplacements emerged from the walls and aimed themselves in her general direction. When she brought her attention back to herself, she noticed that Jessica was standing right next to her, frozen in place with her hands reaching out for a grab Her face was marked with several red dots, which had most definitely not been present on her face or clothes before. A glance back at Emilia revealed that her rifle-arm was also pointed at Jessica

Jessica had stopped just before grabbing her and slowly took three steps back. She placed her hands behind her head and stood motionless as if a police officer was instructing her.

Surprisingly for Allison, and unsurprising for anyone else who bothered to look, Jessica had also failed splendidly, as she didn't bother to look at the target anyway. It was Michelle who broke the news to both of them.

"Alright fuckers, here's the deal: you both failed. Jessica did pass by single weapon competition rules, but this is an official evaluation. In either case, I can piss more accurately than either of you just shot, and I can't really aim. So, in regards to the condition of going to ‘The Pit’, that isn't happening, at least not immediately. Jessica, you're a dumb fuck. You actually started a challenge and didn't bother to look at the target. I would record your score, but it's so low that I don’t want to fuck up your average that badly; you're welcome. That being said, you're taking the entire ballistics evaluation. You were overdue anyway."

The color drained from Jessica's face. She couldn't defend herself in any manner, as Michelle was completely correct. Michelle then turned her attention to Allison. "As for you, that shit show was completely invalid. You never got an explanation, weapon choice, protective equipment, or time to absorb any of this. You also were not in the correct lane.”

Allison momentarily glanced over at the dim stall she was just standing at, and her eyes wandered to a lane illuminated in blue next to it.

Michelle continued, “No score will be recorded, and any footage of whatever the fuck you want to call that will be deleted or edited to high fuck.

Also, having Rinoa not hate you is a good way to start around here. Take a breather and we'll get you properly set up." Michelle nodded in Mark's direction and he went off to parts unknown. She then put her hand up to her left ear and nodded to Emilia who swiftly left the room after handing Michelle her left hand.

Jessica trudged back over to her lane as Michelle turned to Allison. “Alright, nooblet, here’s the deal: you made the best friend you could’ve made already. Rinoa has ordered your evaluation invalidated and requested it be rescheduled for right now. I’ll have Emilia fill you in on all the background shit after you’re done with your evaluation. Also, take these. They should help.”

Allison received standard eye protection and earmuffs fit for shooting ranges. She put them on and watched Jessica sigh dejectedly at the last firing lane.

<<I thought you could use a second chance. I analyzed all of the information on the chip you provided us already. I used that to hack into your previous agency’s systems and pull all of your data, as well as data on everyone else since I was already there.>>

Allison’s eyes opened wide, “Rinoa?!”

Michelle gestured to Allison, putting her finger to her lips. Allison nodded and continued to listen to the newly acquired voice in her head.

<<I’ve seen your scores and cross-referenced video and physical data for your shooting range sessions. You were quite off from the data I’ve collected. When being evaluated, it should be when you are in an acceptable state of mind, not while being taunted, threatened, or otherwise coerced.>>

Allison nodded in agreement and Rinoa continued. <<Emilia is bringing some things to help you. Wait at the designated stall until she returns. That would be the one with the blue lights, to the left of the one you were previously at.>>

Allison did as instructed and whispered to herself, “I wonder if she can hear me.”

<<Yes, I can. There is a microphone in this headset. It’s a noise-canceling headset as opposed to ear protection. Jessica is unlikely to notice, but do not call attention to it by giving the appearance of having a conversation with yourself.>>

“Fair enough, just one question; why did everyone bet on me cursing out Bubba, whoever that is?”

<<I do not count as a ‘person’ in the sense of a human, so I can explain the appropriate course of action. Do not ask about Bubba and do not try to speak to him. This greatly lowers the chances of you using expletives against him and Michelle winning the wager. This will most likely have the greatest benefit for you as well. This is all I can tell you at this time. Remove the headphones and Emilia will explain all the necessary information.>>

Emilia returned carrying a box. She left it in Allison’s lane of the shooting range. “Alright, fortune, or Rinoa, smiles upon you. You’re retaking the evaluation. This time with a proper explanation, rules, bullet count, and atmosphere. It’s only fair. I will actually be monitoring this time as well since I’m the evaluator.”

“You’re my evaluator?! What the fuck were you doing a few minutes ago during that last apparently not-evaluation?!”

“Chatting with Mark and eating a muffin. I have one left. It’s in the box if you want it.”

Allison groaned and peeked into the box, seeing a neatly wrapped blueberry muffin sitting atop the assortment of weapons. She grabbed it and began chomping it down, talking in between bites. “Alright…, what do I do…, boss?”

Emilia signed “Don’t call me boss. What you’re going to do is go through this box of weapons. You’ll be firing 10 rounds with each weapon. The points are marked on the target and the maximum is 250 points per weapon without bonuses. You may choose any non-melee, non-sniper, or non-explosive. You must score 70%, or 175 points averaged across at least 5 weapons. You’ll have 15 minutes to complete the evaluation, including choosing your weapons and figuring out how to load them. One of them is already loaded for you. I suggest you use it. There is also an optical assist you may use once per weapon to help you adjust to it. If you do not use it, you may score 5 bonus points per weapon.” Emilia winked and took a step back. “I will start timing when you say you are ready and have finished that muffin. There are also various bonuses for accuracy streaks, headshots, finishing quickly, and a few other things. We can go over all of that once we review your official evaluation report.”

“That’s simple enough to understand”, Allison said with confidence as she picked up her first weapon, Emilia’s left hand. She glanced at Emilia and realized that Emilia… had her hand attached. “You have two of these?”

“A few more than two, and they do different things. So I'm your first weapon, eh?”

“Yup. I’m ready.”

Emilia nodded and held up her left wrist which had a stopwatch function embedded in it. It was currently counting down from 15 minutes.

Allison stepped up to the firing line and squeezed the hand she was holding. She already had experience with the weapon/appendage and did not need to adjust to it. She quickly exhausted the 10 rounds, landing 3 shots in the inner ring, 3 in the center circle, and 4 bullseye.

Emilia glanced at the target. “Alright, first weapon scoring is… oh…?”

Allison tilted her head in puzzlement. “Oh?”

“Well, there’s the raw score of 205 points, which is already high. You gained 5 points for not using any assistive targeting, 5 points for finishing the set quickly, taking only 5 seconds to expend all rounds, and an additional 10 points ‘improvised weapon’ bonus. Your total score is 225 points.”

“Cool.” Allison rummaged through the case of weaponry, selecting a small caliber rifle. She found the proper ammunition and loaded it within 30 seconds. She stepped up to the firing line and lined up the sights on the weapon without using the targeting assist. She squeezed the trigger again and again, aiming for the head of the target until she expended all 10 rounds. She set the rifle down and exhaled. “Well?”

Emila’s jaw dropped. She did not respond to Allison’s questions.

“Did I do something wrong?” Allison glanced at the face of the target.

Emilia started speaking as if to herself, but Allison knew better. “Rinoa, I need an analysis of that last set from Allison. I only see three holes, but she didn’t move much after resetting.”

A few seconds passed and Emilia’s face was once again covered with surprise. “OK. I’ll calculate the results. Of course, I know you can calculate them for me! Wait… really?… I didn’t think of that one… Fine, What’s the result?... WHAT?! And you are absolutely sure?... OH, right, sorry... OK, please pass the word along to those who need to know.”Allison grinned “So you hear voices in your head too? Also, after the stress of dealing with Jessica, you can just tell me if I pass or fail a weapon set., I’d rather just have us review the results later.”

“Yeah, that’s fine, and you know who that was already I presume. Anyway, your scores for the second set are as follows. Raw score: 230. That’s for 6 bullseye and 4 center-ring headshots. The final score is 270 points which is tied for the current team and agency records held for the same weapon. Javon’s going to be surprised when he hears this. If you do that again, you might not even have to use the last 2 weapons. The only way to get a higher score than that is to use an improvised long-barreled weapon.”

“Like a potato gun?”

Emilia’s eyes widened “Well, yeah, exactly. It does meet requirements and isn't a restricted weapon so…"

“Got one?”

Emilia stared at Allison “You aren’t…”

“You said I could choose a weapon. You didn’t say it had to be in the box. I’ll probably need potatoes too.”

“Well, I guess we can check. Continue with other weapons until we can confirm if we have one or not. It will be an extra weapon to the set if you’re feeling that confident”. Emilia then sent David to search for the unusual choice of weapon.

“Fine,” Allison said as she picked up a submachine gun. She put it back down in favor of… throwing darts. She took a stance and threw… again, and again. She stopped after hitting each remaining bullseye on the target (or what was left of them), moved to the next lane to repeat the process, and changed lanes again for the last 2.

Emilia just stared. “Stop that, it’s weird. Michelle, I’m going to need some help on this one since that’s more your thing.”  Michelle had already made her way to them and was inspecting the lanes.

“Well fuck…” Michelle muttered. This is going to take a minute. Raw score is a perfect 250. Bonuses are…

The total score is 303, and that might have missed a couple of bonuses. This is the highest score for any weapons evaluation ever given. Your current point total on the evaluation is at least 798. You have almost passed the evaluation for firearms and ranged weapon proficiency with only 3 weapons based on bonuses and your actual proficiency with them. At this point, you need only hit the target for most of your remaining shots. Holy fuck…”

Allison tilted her head “So, I don’t have to go to ‘The Pit’?”

Michelle laughed “Not today. With scores like that, you might not have to take that evaluation at all. I do however suggest finishing up with 2 more weapons, and David borrowed Bubba’s potato cannon. You might actually have a shot at beating the overall record for a full evaluation score. How did you get so good with those?”

“I wasted a lot of time throwing darts as a kid and had to get creative with weaponry at my old place. I’m kinda good at improv weapons. Speaking of which, I was told there was a shank somewhere in this jumpsuit. That’s not a problem, is it?”

“I would say no… but after watching you with improvised weapons, I’m going to have to find it,” Michelle said with an evil grin.

A familiar voice rang in Allison’s headphones <<It is on the inside of your left leg. There is a small tear in the leg for quick access.>>

Allison removed the makeshift weapon and presented it to Michelle who pouted “Rinoa’s ruining my fun.”

Allison breathed a sigh of relief as David returned with a potato cannon and a small bag of potatoes. Allison finished her evaluation using 2 more weapons including the potato cannon. Her preliminary score was 1002, which was 2 points above what was considered a perfect raw score and something most agents didn’t bother to accomplish.

“Way to pull aggro there nooblet. Now Mateus will be trying to figure out who the hell you are once he realizes one of his records has been broken. In any case, you’re done here. You are dismissed”. Michelle waved her away and they all left the ballistics range, except for Jessica, who had to go through proficiency training on at least 8 additional weapons, half of which she had no idea how to load.